dragon ball super he was kind enough to offer Trunks a chance at love in the form of Mai. The two are seen together a lot as children and even more in the future. This is sweet and all until one thinks a little more about who Mai is.
It turns out that Mai is much older than Trunks. Despite having the body of a child Trunks’ age, she has the mind and age of an adult woman. Knowing this causes nervousness and uncertainty in fans about the implied potential for a romantic relationship. The “relationship” between Trunks and Mai can be viewed in many ways, but opinions must be formed taking into account all the facts.
First of all, it’s important to remember Mai’s real age. She was featured all the way back to the start of Dragon Ball as a loyal member of the Pilaf Gang. At the time, she was about the same age as Bulma. In other words, Mai is old enough to be Trunks’ mother.
The only reason he is now in Trunks’ age range is because of a wish in the Dragon Balls. The wish was originally meant to restore the Pilaf Gang’s youth, but they ended up a bit younger than they intended. Whether this age reversal makes her and Trunks okay is another story entirely.
The real sticking point comes when Trunks and Mai reach adulthood. For one thing, if you’re both consenting adults, then it should be perfectly fine if you’re together. On the other hand, Mai would still have decades of experience on her “boyfriend”. In this form, Mai is still much older than Trunks. She even she could be accused of grooming.
Fans have a lot of different opinions about Trunks and Mai. To some, it would be like Goku taking an interest in Bulla when the was reverted to a boy in Dragon Ball GT. Others say they shouldn’t get too close when they’re kids, but it should be fine once they’re both adults. Others say that an entirely new character should have been created to play the role of Trunks’ love interest. There are all kinds of answers and solutions to this seeming conundrum.
There’s also an argument to be made regarding Mai’s actual maturity. While the Pilaf Gang clearly retained their memories, knowledge, and experiences from their adulthood, they still act more like children than adults. This would imply that they have become children on the physical plane. Y mind front. If this is true, then Mai might be free to fall in love with people within her new age range.
The way DBS Trunks handles and Mai can give an idea of how to think about the situation. As children, Trunks shows a mild interest in Mai, but Mai doesn’t necessarily reciprocate her feelings. Since it’s Trunks approaching Mai with childlike optimism, Mai’s age is irrelevant. Children fall in love with older people all the time.
Speaking of attraction to older people, Mai’s reaction to Future Trunks should also be noted. She developed a small crush on the young man. This sounds bad at first, but this Trunks is already in his adulthood. Whether she’s a child or an adult, Mai has every right to be attracted to Trunks at this point in her life.
DBS he doesn’t seem to think much of a relationship between the adult Mai and Trunks. The idea was regularly teased throughout the Trunks “Future” Saga. Apparently, since the two are physically around the same age, their approach shouldn’t seem strange.
As troublesome as it sounds, Trunks and Mai ending up together shouldn’t raise too many red flags. Their words and actions as children can easily be dismissed as superficial flirtations. Once they become adults, they can act and feel however they want with each other; at least, that’s how the series treats the situation. As long as this status quo is maintained throughout Dragon Ballthe relationship can be seen as questionable but ultimately harmless.
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